The Swan Curse
by PaleMoon
Summary: Based on a Celtic fairytale, Kagome struggles to save her cursed brothers. Meeting the icecold youkai prince Sesshoumaru enflames a love that will change the world they live in. AU
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** Once upon a time there was a premature Austrian girl who thought she owned anything. When the men dressed in black arrived at her doorstep she cried and wailed to no avail. **THE END**   
Und die Moral von der Geschicht': I don't own anything! Not even the plot **sniff**

_The plot is based on a fairy tale called "The Six Swans" or "The Swan Prince". There are many titles. I also copied some elements from "The Daughter of the Forest", a fabulous book based on the same tale._

**Comment:** Wait for the next part, the prologue is just for giving an idea so you know what kind of writing to expect from me. It is just an introduction with few hints at the actual storyline.

* * *

**Prologue** (in which Kagome loses something)

* * *

Once upon a time there was a little girl. She had long black hair like the finest silk and chestnut- brown eyes.  
Together with her mother and father she lived inside an homely castle, surrounded by a giant forest which was so vast and dangerous that it had never been crossed by anything but the wild creatures.

So was it that on one beautiful autumn day that her mother had died.

A painful illness had swept her away, had made her body fragile and easily breakable so it hadn't been in her strength to survive the first chills of the dawning winter.

Father, who was an important person within the rows of the Emperor, had left for a seaside journey at that time, and he grieved and regretted oh so much when he had heard of his wife's decease and little Kagome who, despite all the berating and despairing of the castle staff, stayed with her sleeping mother until he stood in the doorframe with a pained expression marring his still youthful features.

Then small Kagome, innocent Kagome, ignorant Kagome, had lifted her soulful deep brown eyes to look at him and asked with careful eagerness: "Why doesn't mum wake now that you are home, Otou-san?"

"'Mum' won't ever wake again." He had answered in a stiff manner, finding it unbearable to be left alone with his grief, accompanied by a daughter too young to fully comprehend eternal loss and a staff too distant and beneath him to rely on.

Accompanied by the daughter he had tried to avoid since her birth, he had managed to hate merely for two months before he resigned himself to her natural charms. 

Kagome, whose every feature, every gesture remembered him painfully of someone now lost.

Her father was no king, but neither was he without fame.

Therefore many widows and unmarried ladies travelled a long way to Higurashi castle, trying to lure her father into marriage.

And so the day came when Akira-san remarried. Ironic or not, this event occurred exactly one year after his beloved wife's death, again on a cold day in late autumn.

The new lady of the castle enamoured Akira Higurashi with great ease.  
No month had passed and Kagome was a forgotten entity, purely a beautiful piece of furniture to look at and to dismiss just as easily.

Actually the lady only showed friendliness in front of the little girl. The first time Rhiannon had laid her eyes upon Kagome, she immediately smiled and complimented her oh so beautiful dark hair, many women would give their life for to have.

Kagome had smiled too, but it hadn't been two full weeks later when she obtained insight on the other side of her new mother.

Father didn't know it, but the innate magic Kagome inherited from her mother told her without fail.

Rhiannon was a witch.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** See Prologue

**Comment:** A second chapter because the first one is so short.

It is the strangest of things. I desperately want to write in first person singular, but something holds me back vehemently. Strange indeed…

Oh, and by the way. I am going to try to hold it short and get to the actual adventure as fast as possible! So don't be stingy about the fast pace, it will soon slow down ;)  
I am looking for a BETA! So, if you are interested, please mail me!

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter One** (in which six brothers arrive)

* * *

The Celtic prodigy the early autumn had introduced to the small but homely castle soon began to show her true colours. It wasn't much in the manner she acted. Cool and aloof, still friendly to everyone and helpful to those in need. 

It wasn't in the words she spoke either, though there may have been some hidden meanings and a subtle tension that seemed to pollute the very air she moved with.

Moved _with_, because Rhiannon was by all means an elegant woman. The castle staff proudly called her the "floating wonder", because everything she did she managed with an easiness and casual elegance everyone was smitten with her manner.

One day her stepmother announced the arrival of her sons. Kagome, who had always wished for someone to play with, awaited the great event with mixed feelings.

The day of this glorious announcement came with chilly cold and wet snow. The male staff had just about finished bringing fresh wood into the castle while they themselves were half freezing within the confines of the servants' chambers. Only the kitchen maids and the cook had some kind of advantage, because they could make use of the still slightly glowing stove and coal the whole night.

Breakfast had been served early, missing Kagome, who had slipped out of the castle's back door without anyone noticing the minute the sun had risen. Nobody seemed to mourn her loss, except maybe the little staff girl that often seemed to throw a shy, yet inquiring, glance at the young heiress.

Fixing her coat carefully to cover every free spot on her skin, she ventured along the thick walls of the castle towards the outer boarders of the snow-clad forest. 

She hadn't gone too far, when she heard voices from the distance. The wind let them appear once loud, then again nearly mute, but she wouldn't have understood the words anyway, because it was a tongue she hadn't ever heard before.

Compared to the spoken language of her land it seemed rather fast-paced. Clear in some, hard to comprehend in other places. Still, there was such a beautiful melodic lilt to it that she just had to listen to those voices. 

Drawing closer and closer, she should have seen it coming. Actually. Spending hundreds of days in higher places she had the athletic ability of a chipmunk and the sharp senses of any wild animal occupying the forest.  
Now, though, she could only yelp out loud when the bolt nearly hit her.

And thus she met her brothers for the first time in her life.

It was strange, really. The same call that always drew her towards the sea of trees, promising hidden secrets and joy, now beckoned her to give up all pretence of a game having fled, but instead to take a step towards the hunters with the manner of a deer being caught unaware.

"Who are you?" The small girl asked, bemused.

"You may call me Michael."

The tallest with the blond hair and the oh so beautiful sea blue eyes took a slow step towards them and bowed slightly.

"Upon our arrival we decided to venture through this truly magnificent forest with this flora and fauna which is yet new to us. We want to earnestly beg your pardon for nearly shooting you, young lady."

Kagome's eyes widened with a sudden insight. "Ooh! You must be those sons Lady Rhiannon spoke of!" 

The six boys presented themselves as Michael, Henry, Patrick, Shinichi, Yuki and Conan.

Soon she understood that each of them had their own way of dealing with things and though being brothers, they also had different opinions and experiences.

One talk she had with one of the twins proved a completely different attitude though.

"_You don't like your own mother?!" _

Shinichi's eyes narrowed and he grimaced. "LIKE is too strong a word. She is just the only parent I've ever had. Well, she is kind of strange you have to admit. Furthermore choosing different men for every son… I am sure I would have been completely convinced of her ways being morally right, isolated as she kept us, hadn't I met the miko in the woods. The others have never met her, so don't tell them I told you, do you understand?" "Hm."

Kagome hadn't understood, but she hadn't said that, instead making an approving sound in her throat and promising herself to honour the vow and to never let a word of their first private exchange slip out.

tbc


	3. Chapter 2

**Comment:** Hm... we are still in the childhood. Please understand that this period is necessary for the coming turning point. Also the writing style will be more detailed from now on. I might make some major changes soon, because it is kind of hard to maintain a fairy tale-like style this way.

Whatever... it's my first try and I want to end it, hear your flames/opinions and then rearrange the piece according to them.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Two** (in which truth isn't sought)

* * *

Life wrote a marginal change of pace for the siblings when the first advisors from the far coast arrived. Most of the time these men of high status stayed in father's study or the large library where, according to Shinichi, they explored various strategies, bending over large-sized maps and racking their brains for whatever it was.

The six played in the shade of the giant oak tree, laughing while trying to catch grasshoppers.

#

"Did you know that the new lady of this forest is a cat-deity?" Kagome asked while yet catching another insect coming her way. Slumping down onto the soft green grass she opened her hand and let it jump free.

"No. How do you know?" Yuki sat down next to her, eyeing her curiously. "Have you met her?"

"What?" For a moment she was shocked. "No, I haven't. In fact, no one has, but the birds told me. They are afraid."

"Then we have to help them!"

"We could always hire a dog!"

"Do you know where the little ones hide their treasures?"

"Sure I do! They ask the river-god to convert it to water and bring it to a lake where nothing will find it and it can't flow away."

#

And so they spent their times within the generous arms of the forest, spinning tales, living them and chasing treasures.

It was not said, that her stepmother didn't find the time to notice Kagome's distancing her sons from herself. However rare the times the seven graced the great hall with their presence, wild and half in rags as they often were, but with big smiles of contentment and joy on their faces, Kagome ever so often caught Lady Rhiannon casting a dark glare at her, without good reason, she thought and was afraid.

The girl was not silly, no, but she couldn't explain how a mother could hate another child being with her own children. So Rhiannon sought out many ways to get Kagome out of the way. Little gullible Kagome would be so easy to trap, so easy to ensnare into her great plans.

"Tomorrow a shuen will take place in order to greet our allies." Her father announced. It was one of the few times they were privately invited to the throne room and had to stand in a row in front of the king like the good children they were.

"Have you all been good?" The king asked without any visible interest in the answer, his face like stone (no, just terribly tired, Kagome corrected) and his body half- slumped what he wouldn't have allowed himself to do in front of the other advisors.

"Yes, we are." They answered in near chorus, anticipating the coming treat.

"Come now, let them join the great event." A melodic and slightly amused voice called out from behind them. No one had to turn around to see who had arrived. The king stood up, his face nearly alight with relief. "My dear lady, this is exactly what I wanted to announce right now." Turning back to the children he said. "Come here, let me take a close look at you."

Michael was the first to follow his order and the king smiled at his uncertain yet proud expression. "You are a fine boy, Michael." He complimented. "I am sure you are going to make a fine official one day." He went along the row, until he stopped by Kagome.

A careful smile tucked at her lips, her face angelic in the grey light falling through the windows. He mustered her wordlessly, then he spoke. "It has been a long time. You are ten now, aren't you?" He took a step closer, taking her small chin into his large hands, inspecting her even closer. "Such a strong familiarity." He murmured darkly, clearly to himself. Her face froze, her smile merely a ghost. He let her go, taking two steps back, averting his face. "You will wear a proper dress on the feast tomorrow, I want you to represent a fine young lady in front of the court, do you understand me?" Kagome nodded, something she couldn't name close to chocking her.

"You may go."

Rhiannon smiled.

It was on that day that Kagome had healed a flower.

The brothers hadn't called their little sister on it, hadn't pried, hadn't been confused or surprised. Laughing they had been happy for the small mistreated flower being whole again, giving it back to the meadow's spirits. 

"I want to visit Mr. Oak today!" So they did.

The evening arrived far too fast.

Reaching her chambers Kagome saw the dress that had been put on her bed by one of the maids. It was a traditional garment, rich ornaments decorating the outer sleeves. Right next to it was a box. She opened it and let the two beautifully crafted earrings fall into her open hands. Somehow she thought them familiar, but couldn't be sure. One was of a lilac colour, complimenting the kimono, the other slightly lighter, seeming to catch the light in the room, only to emit it even stronger and brighter.

The next day she was summoned by the lady. "Come here." Rhiannon patted the space next to her on the large bed.

"Sit with me, Kagome-chan." Kagome stared at her, bemused, but complied.  
"We have to hold together, don't we, being the only ladies in this household?" Her voice grated on Kagome's nerves. Not because it was so terrible, quite the opposite. It was a voice used by the smart wilds of the forest to soothe their prey, before pouncing. Knowing, but not knowing, made her suddenly edgy.

"I will help you dress yourself for the great event. Come, let me do your hair." Steering her closer, Kagome yelped quietly when the lady's comp drove through her hair once, immediately followed by her hand parting the hair.

"Such fine hair you have." She cooed. "It's really a pity." Before Kagome could reply, Rhiannon spoke again.  
"Now stand up and let me fix your dress. We don't want to anger your father by being late, ne?"

Higurashi castle had never before seen the siblings like they were on this day. Many of the guests couldn't help but ask about the age of the children, unbelieving that such charisma could be emitted from someone still so young.

Also Shinichi had decided to join the feast, even after getting special allowance to ditch the festivities and to continue his research. A long time he had tried to convince Father of the necessity to look into youkai culture and warfare in order to brighten the understanding of their strategies and strength. More and more often Yuki accompanied him. The twins seemed to have the rare ability of perfectly coordinated team work and their success in finding the needed information strongly enhanced their reputation among the advisors.

Kagome was just eating a peach from the buffet, when she glimpsed a man standing in the doorway. In general there was nothing strange about a large male occupying the threshold, especially when a feast was taking place in the same room. In special there seemed something off about him, she couldn't even name the feeling, he just felt 'different'. Taking a deep breath and nearly choking on the sweet juice now running down her chin, she couldn't withstand her curiosity and walked towards him, absently wiping away the wetness from her face. He seemed to feel her closing in, or had also glimpsed from the side, because he, now, stared openly at her. Not allowing insecurity to take her over, she continued her even pace.

Halting the social distance before him, she bowed slightly and recited the learnt greeting. "My name is Kagome of the House Higurashi and I welcome you sincerely in our humble home." He merely nodded at her and averted his intent gaze, his curiosity seemingly appeased. "You are no guest, are you?" She stated bluntly, making her voice even to the other discussions taking place around her. "I have never seen the likes of you before."

His narrowed gaze shifted from the large room filled with glitter and laughter back to the girl. "What would a small girl like you know about the likes of me?" He asked, vaguely interested.

She simply shrugged, somehow uneasy with the full attention he presented her. "You 'feel' different from all the others." But the man had turned away again, looking for something within the packed confines of the room. "I quite enjoyed your bluntness, but now I have to excuse myself." She watched him curiously as he walked over to some of the other guests and began to talk to them as if he had been there all the time.

A commotion from the entrance pricked the attention of the attendants. It seemed the lord himself had made his appearance. According to written behaviour Kagome would have to sit beside him on the zabuton, together with her brothers and step-mother. While passing over, the man, like magic, slipped her mind, nothing significant enough to remember by.

Sitting down, she met her father's eyes briefly. He had been staring at her since entering the room. At first Kagome couldn't discern his expression, because it seemed like anger, fury even, which she hadn't seen in anyone's eyes since Michael was dumped into the cold waters of the forest's lake. She still wasn't sure. Why would he hate her? Wasn't she dressed appropriate enough? Everyone had complimented her choice of attire, though.

#

And after the initiation he took her aside, glaring at her like she had stolen the castle's heirloom.  
"What do you think your are doing?"  
Kagome merely stared, frozen.

"Wearing something you aren't allowed to wear!"  
Cold silence, then, "But the kimono-…"

"The earrings, you silly child! Now everyone is going to think I named you the new heiress of the castle, while I most definitely had Michael in mind, and his future wife, who should have been the proud bearer of the heirloom!"   
Now Kagome understood the subtle congratulations about her finding a rich man for sure and having to learn much before taking on the burden.

"B-But, I didn't know! How would I!" She exclaimed, nervous, not daring to look at the furious stranger in front.  
"You would because it is part of your education!" He sighed, calming a bit. "Now it seems your brothers have taken much time off it. Spend more time learning about our ancestors, that's an order."

With that he left.

* * *

dog refers to a dog-deity, no normal dog

shuen means banquet (I used a dictionary, so please bear with wrong meanings)

zabuton is a traditional cushion to sit on

tbc


End file.
